This is a great passage, isn’t it? Makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s so good to know that as Christians we always know that God is right there with us, watching us, protecting us. And because of that nothing bad ever happens and we never feel lonely, or scared or worried or anxious or hopeless or forgotten. Life is just pretty perfect when you believe in Jesus isn’t it??? Alright, if you’re just visiting this blog for the first time you are probably looking for the exit right about now and if you’re a regular, I hope by now you know me well enough to know that I’m messing with you.

Because, we all know it doesn’t always feel like that. If we’re honest and real with one another, it’s not always our experience. Sometimes we feel like we’re drowning in devastating feelings like hurt, abandonment, anxiety and, the really big one that people are afraid to mention: doubt. In reality, we get hurt in life and beat up and sick and tired and it doesn’t FEEL like God is right there lovingly watching over us and we DOUBT that He is there. And if He IS there then we doubt that He even cares.

Job is a guy in the Bible that went through some really hard stuff during his time of struggle he said:

“If I go to the east, God is not there; if I go to the west, I do not see Him. When He is at work in the north, I catch no sight of Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him” (Job 23:8-9).

The Bible calls Job BLAMESS and UPRIGHT but when he was going through a very dark time he felt like God had abandoned him. We feel like that sometimes too. Our hearts cry out saying, “WHERE ARE YOU GOD???” And He cries back, “I’m here! I love you and you’re never alone!”

But if we are going to have an authentic faith, then we need to agree that it’s OK to have doubts sometimes. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you NEVER have doubts, if you never question what you believe then your faith may not stand up when the storms of life come. It’s OK to doubt. It’s OK to ask the big, God-sized questions. Our God is a really big God and He is not threatened by our questions. He relishes, I believe, the chance to show us who He really is.

I think this is proved by the fact that the Bible records passages like the one we just read in Job. The Bible is filled with them. God is not afraid of our doubts and questions.

So, today we ask the God-sized question: Does God Even Care About Me?

Let me preface all of this by saying, I’m no theologian. I do not claim to have all the answers to these God-sized questions. I’m just a guy who loves Jesus and loves people working through it like you. So we’re going to learn and grow in this together.

I’ll be honest with you. This was a really tough message. Everything was trite and churchy. THERE ARE NO PAT ANSWERS! I struggle with this sometimes too. Have you ever seen the movie Bruce Almighty? That scene “God is a mean kid with a magnifying glass on an ant hill. He could wave His magic wand and make everything better, but instead He uses His magnifying glass to burn off my feelers” I have had that EXACT conversation!

The one thing I know is that God’s Word, the Bible, is our guide for life and gives us a clear view of the Truth when the realities of life cloud our vision.

If you feel like He doesn’t care, join the crew. Have you read the Psalms? How frequently did David cry out to God in despair? In Psalm 22 he said, “My God why have you forsaken me?” This isn’t a statement made by a person who is feeling comforted. David was one of the most important characters in the Bible. God said that David was a man “After God’s own heart.” David loved God immensely and far greater was the love God had for David. Yet there were several times when David felt alone and abandoned by God. Remember when King Saul tried to kill David with a spear? David escaped, but then Saul hunted him with an army. Is it very comforting to be chased by an evil king?

Does this mean that God doesn’t care? Absolutely not. There are several reasons. As David went through trial after trial, he learned more and more how God would provide. His faith grew and his love for God increased. DAVID COULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN THE GREAT PSALMS OF FAITH IF HE HADN’T FIRST HAD TO WRITE THE PSALMS OF DESPAIR.

EVEN JESUS FELT IT! As He hung on the cross He echoed David’s words: “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?”

Although we feel forsaken by God, He never truly forsakes us. Silence does not imply rejection.

But in the middle of such agony and pain, it’s hard to see things clearly. It may even be difficult to see God’s love. But He does love us, He cares so deeply about our pain that His word tells us in Psalm 56:8:

“You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.

You have recorded each one in Your book.”

How many of your sorrows does God track? ALL of them! And how many of your tears fall that He doesn’t collect? NOT ONE! Does this sound like a God who doesn’t care or who is distant? He is lovingly and intimately involved in our suffering. And He suffers with us even if we don’t see it.